Meet Fingerpaint’s founder, Ed Mitzen, and global president, Bill McEllen, along with local industry professionals with knowledge and experience related to growing and exiting companies through mergers and acquisitions.
Here’s why to attend:
Professional advisors gain knowledge that is helpful in advising clients and grow their referral networks.
Business owners hear about fundamental principles and considerations, both from transaction professionals and from CEOs and executives who have gone through M&A transactions.
Join us on March 23 at The Opalka Gallery @ Russell Sage College, 140 New Scotland Ave, Albany, NY 12208
Series Overview
Upstate Capital’s M&A Advisor Event Series is designed to facilitate knowledge and connections for service providers and business owners related to merging and acquiring companies. Events will cover topics including how businesses are valued, how to build a deal team, how to find buyers, and what to expect from running a sales process.
Each program includes an invitation-only roundtable for business owners and entrepreneurs to sit down with experienced executives in a closed-door session. The roundtable is followed by a panel presentation from local industry professionals, investors, and executives who have gone through M&A transactions. Networking is open before and after the program.
Who Will Be There?
The M&A Advisor Series will be attended by executives, investors, and industry professionals interested in M&A and ownership transitions.
Tickets
Tickets: $100 For Upstate Capital members: $75
Not yet an Upstate Capital member? Become a member and get a free pass to this event.
I began my career in banking as a Credit Analyst, with the intent of pursuing a career in corporate finance. After a bank merger, I was solicited for a position as a Private Wealth Manager (VP) for high networth clients at Ayco, division of Goldman Sachs. In 2004 I had the desire to go back into corporate finance, where my passion lies, and started The Kalos Group, a small business advisory/consulting firm. In 2009 I became an executive at a division of The Interpublic Group, a major advertising agency holding company, where I developed substantial contacts and gained a better understanding of marketing.
Today I am a Managing Director at a prestigious, boutique investment bank, The Schwartz Heslin Group, in Albany, NY. I am a Certified Valuation Analyst and manage our valuation and strategic practice at the firm.
My core competencies are financial and marketing strategy for startup or mature companies, financings, valuations, and business development.
Specialties: Business development, financial (personal and corporate), overall business strategy, marketing and advertising, valuations.
Charles Haviland is Co-Chair of the WOH’s Business, Corporate and Commercial Practice Group. He represents businesses, financial institutions, venture and private equity funds, and individuals in connection with corporate, commercial, and securities transactions. Mr. Haviland’s representation includes business formation, mergers, acquisitions, private placements of securities, venture capital financings, management buy-outs, securities reporting and compliance, commercial and municipal financings and reorganizations.
I work with companies to train sales teams, customer services teams, and management teams. Companies I work with are typically facing one of a few problems:
-Frustration that there aren’t enough leads at the top of the sales funnel. -Concern that sales cycles take longer than they should. -Anger that prospects disappear on them. -Worry that they don’t know how to scale a sales team. -Anxious that there is no sales process in place. -Fearful that the person they promoted to sales manager does not have the skills. -Disappointed that they aren’t retaining clients. -Disgusted that they are not upselling and/or cross selling clients and prospects.
Fingerpaint’s M&A Journey Conversation with Ed Mitzen, Founder, and Bill McEllen, Global President – Fingerpaint
Ed Mitzen and his team at Fingerpaint acquired several companies, leveraging private equity for support, to grow the company strategically. The M&A strategy was successful in attracting an acquirer for Fingerpaint in 2021. Ed and Bill will join us to talk about building the company and their lessons learned, with a particular focus on how to approach acquisitions and getting acquired.
Ed Mitzen
Founder of Fingerpaint
Ed Mitzen is a renowned healthcare marketing entrepreneur who has built three businesses with a combined revenue of over $500 million. His current company, Fingerpaint, has been on Inc.’s “5000 of America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies” for the last eight years. Ed is a published author and prominent thought leader, writing his first book, More Than a Number, with Forbes in 2020 and regularly contributing his expertise to trade and business publications. He has been recognized time and time again as an entrepreneur and was a two-time finalist for EY Entrepreneur of the Year. He was named to Digiday’s inaugural Top Boss list and was named Industry Person of the Year by both Med Ad News and MM&M. Ed earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from Syracuse University and an MBA from the University of Rochester Simon Business School.
Bill McEllen
Global President
Bill McEllen has been a leader in global biopharma commercialization for nearly 30 years. As the global president at Fingerpaint, he serves on the executive leadership team and oversees all of Fingerpaint’s business units. Under his leadership, the agency has experienced exponential growth. His team has garnered 5 Agency of the Year awards in the last 5 years and won a CLIO in a category alongside Nike and Budweiser. Prior to joining Fingerpaint, Bill spent 13 years with McCann Health as president of both McCann Torre Lazur and McCann Echo, where he led his agencies to 14 nominations as Agency of the Year in various industry publications. Bill also spent the first 10 years of his career on the client side in pharma, gaining a deep understanding of the varied challenges our clients face across the full spectrum of commercialization.
Michael Lasch
Managing Director at Pine Street Capital Partners
Michael has been Managing Director at Pine Street Capital Partners for 17 years where he has made mezzanine debt and non-control equity investments of $3-12MM in privately held companies mostly in the Eastern US. He is also a board member of the Albany Academies and the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Michael earned his BA in Political Science from the College of the Holy Cross in 1990 and his MBA from Emory University in 1997.
The roundtable is most suitable for people with $1M+ revenue companies who are actively thinking about growing their businesses, possibly by making acquisitions, as well as people who have larger companies and are thinking about exiting by getting acquired.
Do I have to bring anything with me or will I be asked anything specific?
You should come prepared to share who you are, what you do, and a question you’d like to ask the co-hosts and experienced people in the room.
Is there anything else I should know?
This is an opportunity to make more intimate connections with your peers and with people who have in-depth experience with business topics that are relevant now, or could be relevant in the future, for you. You can assume that what is spoken about in the room will stay there, and should afford the same courtesy to other participants.
